March 14
Falcons Topple Undefeated Hornets, 8-5

The Lady Falcons snatched the lead early and kept it through the game.
The Hornets fought hard, we'll concede, but the Falcons won all the same.
The Hornets wanted to win this meet. They thought they had covered their bases.
The Falcons they were hungry to beat. It was written all over their ... CARS!?!

Their intention was clear. Cars plastered with "Beat Green Hope!" lined the path to the stadium. Western Guilford was undefeated and was routinely scoring close to 20 points against its other opponents. But did the Lady Hornets want it badly enough to repeat last year's upset against the Falcons?

At the start of the game, both sides fought ferociously for possession of the ball. The Hornet goalie was put to work defending the cage against several Falcon goal attempts. When the Hornets lost possession on a goal save by Katie Worsdale, Lauren "Coz" Cosentino was able to connect to Kelly Reiser, who scored on a quick stick. Coz's exciting dive into the Hornet's nest gave the Falcons their next point. Then the Hornets scored on a bounce shot behind Worsdale. It was starting to look like a close game. But then Coz's slam shot from a pass by Brittany Ruppert, followed by a solo run-and-dunk, widened the gap to 4-1. When the Hornets broke through the Falcon defense to slam in a point, Coz took revenge on the next draw with a sprint to the cage and had Kelly Reiser finish it for the next point. The Hornets, buzzing around the crease, drew Worsdale out of the cage then put one in behind her.

The Hornets started the second half quickly to narrow the gap, 5-4. Rachel Chapla put one in with an excellent stick fake on a pass from Kelly Reiser. The Hornets scored next on penalty. Logan Kaznowski answered in kind with her own point on penalty. For the next 12.5 minutes - exactly a quarter of the game, no scores were made, but the period was action-packed nonetheless. Coz forced a turnover. Ruppert went one-on-one with the Hornet goalie in a dance outside the cage. (Worsdale finally met her twin in a goalie who spent more time out of her cage than even Worsdale did!) More than once Casey Reiser knocked one out of a Hornet stick and intercepted a clear. Jenna Lang showed good hustle on ground balls, one of which almost ended in a point by Kelly Reiser. Christina Demetros and Ali Brown were standing their ground, forming an impenetrable wall, fending off cutters and blocking shot attempts. Katie Worsdale was having a field day, forcing turnovers, and deflecting and saving shots left and right. Elba Olivero mixed it up with the Hornets, daring to be stung. She took a couple of hits for the team, drawing a charge on one. Ali Brown should be proud.

With just minutes left on the clock, Brown drew a charge in front of the Falcon goal, then on a dead-stick run, set the ball up for the Falcon attackers on the other side of the field. Deirdre O'Connor, Coz, Kaznowski and Ruppert enjoyed a leisurely game of catch. Then Coz made her move into the Hornet's nest one last time for the final point of the game. A last minute block on a crease roll by Worsdale preserved the 8-5 score.

Contributed by Ri-Shea Schlitter

Photos contributed by Scott Brown